Public Dialogue: Just a Costume?

When:

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Where:

Description:

On October 28th, Sustained Dialogue at MSU invites students, community members and MSU faculty and staff to join them for a public dialogue exploring the implications of Halloween costumes and how they potentially misrepresent cultures and enforce gender stereotypes.

Halloween is a night for fun, candy, costumes, and friends, but what happens when the fun takes an offensive turn? The evening will begin with speakers, both MSU students and faculty, contextualizing certain Halloween costume trends within broader historical and sociological themes. Following the speakers' presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to share their experiences with the topics in dialogue spaces moderated by Sustained Dialogue moderators.

The MSU chapter of Sustained Dialogue was started in 2011 in response to hateful statements said in passing to Middle Eastern students on campus. Since then they have hosted multiple facilitation trainings for the MSU community as well as multiple public dialogues about important identity issues within the Bozeman community. Founded by Dr. Hal Saunders, the Sustained Dialogue model betters participants' understandings of diversity and personal identity through the sharing of personal experience. The model is in place on more than two dozen campuses across the nation via the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network.

This event is free and open to all; however, the conversation may not be appropriate for those under the age of 12. The dialogue will take place in SUB Ballroom A on October 28th from 6-8pm. For more information please call the Diversity Awareness Office at 406-994-5801 or visit msusd.weebly.com.